


Broken Hearts and Empty Ones

by CadenceH2O



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Maribat - Fandom, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:14:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27874417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CadenceH2O/pseuds/CadenceH2O
Summary: Daminette Songfic 'The Only Exception' ft. Paramore
Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Damian Wayne
Comments: 7
Kudos: 98





	Broken Hearts and Empty Ones

**Author's Note:**

> Cross-posted from my tumblr (@/cadenceh2o)

_—_

_When I was younger_

_I saw my daddy cry_

_And curse at the wind_

Damian crouched outside the door of the office, hearing Bruce’s muffled sobs echoing softly in the secluded area of the manor. The fact that Bruce was crying was nerve-wracking enough- But crying over a woman? That was something else- Especially since that woman was his mother. 

_He broke his own heart_

_And I watched_

_As he tried to reassemble it_

Damian watched as his father kept a straight face at breakfast the next morning, the cries and tears of last night only a distant memory- Perhaps even a dream. He watched the way Bruce looked at Tim and Stephanie with that wistful spark in his eyes. He watched the way tears- Not happy tears, but _broken-hearted_ tears- Gathered in his father’s eyes when Dick and Barbara got married.

_And my momma swore_

_That she would never let herself forget  
_

When Damian was still young, he remembered how his mother would put on the cold, uncaring expression on despite the fact she just caught the title of ‘Gotham Playboy Bruce Wayne Caught With (—)’ on the first page of the latest news. 

She raised him, telling him that _no one_ was trustable, that giving out his heart would only result in it getting broken. 

_And that was the day that I promised_

_I’d never sing of love_

_If it does not exist,  
_

She’d made him promise, she said: “Don’t you ever let love be your weakness.” and Damian had swore, Damian had squeezed every ounce of affection out of his system, had made sure he’d never develop a crush on _anyone_.

_but darlin’  
_

_You are, the only exception_

The first day he’d met her in college, he’d scoffed at the sight of a weak, frail girl- Clearly, this was someone who gave her heart away _too_ easily- And got it returned, broken. 

_You are, the only exception_

But the next day, she’d brought him a paper bag of macarons and she’d told him to eat up. And then, out of sheer curiosity, he asked why she’d let her heart get broken. She took one look at him, and told him that his heart was as empty as hers was broken, and then pushed the paper bag closer to him. 

_You are, the only exception_

He’d been offended at first, and refused to talk to her. He’d given her the cold shoulder, telling himself it was better to have an empty heart than a broken one. But even though he’d ignored her, brushed her aside, and spat at her about keeping to her own business, without fail, everyday, he’d have a bag of fresh macarons on his table. 

There was even one day when he thought she’d stopped making macarons, but later, when he was at the library, studying, she’d dropped by, setting a bag of macarons on his table, walking away without another word. And although he didn’t want to admit it, he ate all of the macarons (Only because they were good and it was a pity to throw them away). 

_You are, the only exception_

Then, after that, he’d find a bag of fresh, toasty macarons inside the mailbox of his hostel, everyday. But on a faithful Friday, two weeks after she’d told him his heart was empty- He found a sticky note on his bag of macarons. It read: Broken hearts take time to fix, but an empty heart takes _affection_ to mend. 

One part of him scoffed at how cringey it was, how naive she was. But another part of him pocketed the note, another part of him held the note to his heart in the dark, and smiled like a teenager in love. 

—

_Maybe I know, somewhere_

_Deep in my soul_

_That love never lasts_

If she was being honest, Marinette saw it coming. From the day she’d asked him out, to the day he broke it off, she’d always knew that he was too good for her, and that her love would never be enough to tie him down. 

_And we’ve got to find other ways_

_To make it alone_

_But keep a straight face_

She’d refused to be the girl who spent hours crying over her breakup, but that didn’t mean she didn’t shed a few tears while watching romantic movies, all alone in the apartment that she had spent so much time in with _him._

 _And I’ve always lived like this  
  
_ _“_ You can keep it,” He said, tossing the keys of _their_ apartment to her, his arm around his new, smirking girlfriend, who looked as proud as the cat who got the canary. _  
_

She’d caught the keys with shaking hands, dripping tears, and a broken heart.  
  
 _Keeping a comfortable, distance_  
  
After one week of mourning the silence in the apartment, she got herself together. She made designs, she listened to breakup songs, she attended college while earning money off commissions. 

_And up until now_

Once in a while, she’d find something that was his, and then think: Wow, he’s been gone for three months now. 

_I had sworn to myself_

“I’m happy,” She said, a sad smile on her face as her friends got engaged, one by one. 

_that I’m content_

“I’m happy,” She told her parents, a bright smile on her lips, a heavy weight jerking on her chest as she glanced at her mother’s wedding ring. 

_With loneliness_  
  
“I’m happy,” She whispered, sitting alone in a quiet apartment, knowing that the rest of her friends were shopping for wedding gowns. 

_Because none of it was ever worth the risk_

She cried and screamed when she found a framed photo of her and _him_ , six months ago, his arm around her waist and matching, in-love smiles on their faces. 

_But, you are, the only exception_

When she looked at him, the new boy in her college class, she saw- Nothing. There was no love, no hate, no joy, no despair. And for some reason, a voice in her head told her that _yes_ , she was going to help him. 

_You are, the only exception_

She picked up the spatula, hesitating, remembering all the times she baked home-made pastries for _him_ until the day that she found the pastries she’d packed for him to eat at work in the trash can, all of them untouched. She shook her head, and told herself _no,_ she would never again associate the thought of baking with _him._

_You are, the only exception_

Everyday, without fail, she packed macarons for him, and everyday, she found her heart slowly, slowly piecing itself back together. And every morning, she found herself waking up with a smile, getting up to gather her ingredients and make more fresh macarons for him. 

_You are, the only exception_

It went to the point where she gained the courage to put a sticky note on his bag of macarons, and as she was writing, she glanced up, catching view of herself in the mirror. Her eyes had stopped being sunken; The dark circles beneath were gone; And most of all- A soft, genuine smile was stretched across her lips. 

—

_I’ve got a tight grip on reality_

Damian decided enough was enough. He asked around for her apartment address, and on a Saturday morning, he waited for her, right outside her door. 

_But I can’t let go of what’s in front of me here_

Oh, she’d been surprised, alright. Once the shock wore off, she’d smiled sweetly at him, and then Damian realised, as he looked at her, that she’d mended her heart. Sure, you could still see the little flaws and cracks in her once-full heart, but somehow, she’d gathered the million shatters of her heart and then stuck them back together. 

“Hey…?” She greeted unsurely, and he noted the recycled bags in her hand. “Good morning.” 

He nodded in response, his tongue absolutely tied. He fiddled with her sticky note inside his pocket, and gestured with his other hand for her to go on with her day. He was grateful that she didn’t ask any questions about why he was following her. The two walked to the subway, took three stops down, and emerged on a busy street. After another bit of a walk, they stopped at the grocery store. 

“So, why did you follow me to the grocery store?” She asked, arms crossed. 

He only shrugged and gestured for her to go on. He carried the basket as she picked up her usual ingredients, eyeing Damian with a wary glance. Flour, almond ground, meringue. When she was done, she went over to take the basket from him, but he held on firmly. She raised an eyebrow but never said anything as they made their way to the paying counter. When she was about to take out her purse to pay, he gave the cashier his credit card. 

When she protested, he had said: “The least I can do is pay for the ingredients.” She went quiet, and then everything made sense. 

On the way back to the subway station, he had insisted on carrying the bags like the gentleman he was. Sure- He might’ve never had a crush on a girl before, but Bruce and Alfred made sure he was raised right. 

_I know you’re leaving in the morning, when you wake up_

“You know, you’re really incredible.” He said, smiling at her. 

“Oh?” The corner of her mouth lifted. “How so?” 

_Leave me with some kind of proof it’s not a dream, oh_

He took out the sticky note from his pocket, and the shock on her face was something he would never forget. “Remember this?” The note was wrinkled and stained- It was pretty obvious that he had opened it and re-folded it many, _many_ times. “You said ‘A broken heart takes time to fix, but an empty heart takes affection to mend’.” 

She nodded, unsure of where the conversation was going. “You’re really incredible, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” He repeated. “In under two weeks, you managed to fix _both_ a broken heart _and_ an empty one.” 

They stopped walking, and she stared at him. 

_You are, the only exception_

”You actually listened to what I said.” She said, finally. “I didn’t think you would.”

_You are, the only exception_

He shrugged. “I thought I’d never fall in love, either, but look where I am now.” He smiled softly. “You really are something else.” 

_You are, the only exception_

She blushed. 

_You are, the only exception_

“You have to promise me something, though.” He put on a serious face. “Promise me you’ll never stop making macarons for me.” 

She hit him playfully, and then Damian knew in that instant, his empty heart had been mended. 

_You are, the only exception_

On a Friday evening, as she returned from the campus library, Marinette glimpsed something sticking out of her apartment mailbox. She opened it cautiously, afraid that it was a prank. A paper bag sat quietly inside, a little letter lying next to it. She peered into the paper bag, letting out a delighted squeal when she spied a container with disfigured-looking cream puffs. 

_You are, the only exception_

The letter, which she opened later in her apartment, read: **_This was my first attempt at making cream puffs. I know they probably aren’t the best payment to you, especially since your macarons always look perfect and let’s not mention you fixed my ‘empty heart’ (Your words, not mine). So… If the cream puffs aren’t good enough of a repayment, could I possibly make it up to you with a date? Tomorrow night, 6pm? Sincerely, your-once-empty-hearted-boy, Damian Wayne._**

_You are, the only exception_

Three months later, she’d decided that the apartment was still a little painful to live in, and after selling it off, both she and Damian had put together the money that they had from doing commissions and working at a cafe respectively, and they’d bought a little apartment not too far from the college. 

_You are, the only exception_

One evening, two years after they’d graduated- She’d dressed up nicely to go on a date- He’d said ‘dress extra nice’ in his text, then added: ‘don’t worry too much, you’d look good in whatever you pick’. Once the taxi had dropped her off, she looked around the lavender field that Damian had instructed her to go to- face brightening when she saw her beloved once-empty-hearted boy. 

It was difficult not to squeal as he got on one knee, taking a velvet box out of his back pocket. Both of them were shaking with emotions, and Damian hadn’t even gotten the first word out and he was already getting teary. Marinette was seconds from sobbing out of happiness. 

“Marinette,” He took her hand, his voice shaking. “When we first met, you told me I was as empty-hearted as your were broken.” Damian swallowed. “And even after I snapped at you, brushed you off, you still made those macarons for me.” Both of them shared a teary laugh. “And under two weeks, you fixed both your broken heart and my empty one. So,” He choked, his heart nearly bursting from the pressure. “Will you let me be your once-empty-hearted-boy forever, and let me marry you?” 

“Yes,” Marinette laughed, tears dripping down her cheeks. “A thousand times yes!” 

_And I’m on my way to believing_

Damian, standing at the altar with his father and brothers next to him, couldn’t believe how lucky he was. Just because this one girl in his college class had looked at him and decided that she was going to help fix his heart, he was getting married. Bruce, for once, didn’t look broken-hearted at a wedding as Selina smiled proudly from the front row seat. 

_Oh, and I’m on my way to believing._

Marinette, in her beautiful, white ballgown, arm-in-arm with her father, bit her lip, trying not to cry and ruin her makeup. In their relationship, Damian was wrong about one thing- Marinette didn’t fix her broken heart on her own. _Damian_ was the one who mended her broken heart- The thought of Damian eating her macarons- And when he told her to promise to make those macarons for him for the rest of their lives- _That_ , was the very moment that Marinette’s heart blossomed again. 

_They were each other’s exceptions._

_—_

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! :)


End file.
